The Adventures of the Little Merman
by SkyDragon2996
Summary: While living in an undersea kingdom, the young merman Tintin often dreams of what it would be like to be a part of the human world. Even though he was told to despise humans, Tintin then has an encounter with a beautiful princess that would change his life in a magical way. Characters that I will be using belong to luvadventure123, RenaissanceElf, etc., to name a few.
1. Song of the Sea

The sun was hidden by the thick clouds as a flock of seagulls were flying overhead. Though it would seem merely impossible for them to see through the thick fog, the seagulls did not mind and just kept on flying. Below them, in the crystal blue ocean, a pod of dolphins were leaping several times out of the water, all while clicking and squealing with joy and delight. As the dolphins were swimming happily, they suddenly parted their separate ways from a crashing wave. Amidst the fog and clouds, a ship was sailing through the crashing waves. From atop the ship, a group of sailors were chanting a jovial sea chantey:

"I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

And it's hey to the starboard, heave ho

Look out, lad, a mermaid be waitin' for you

In mysterious fathoms below."

From the bow of the ship, a young woman with wild and unruly ebony-colored hair stared out among the vast ocean. Her name was Alexandria, or Alex for short, and she was a princess from the kingdom of San Theodoros. Though her days were mostly filled with endless lessons, lectures, and teachings of how to behave like a proper lady, Alex would find one moment to have a day off as a princess and explore. She was often accompanied by her pets, a white terrier named Snowy and a ferret named Rascal.

Breathing in the windy air, Alex took a moment to stare out among the sea. "Isn't this exciting?" she asked. "The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face…a perfect day to be at sea!" She then peered over to her butler Nestor, who was slowly leaning over the side of the ship. "Oh yes," he mumbled sullenly. "Delightful." "Ah yes. Excellent, excellent," Alex's right-hand servant, Professor Calculus, had said. "The sun seems rather pleasant on this fine day!" One sailor who was manning the deck gave a sly wink at Alex as she returned to the deck.

"A fine, strong wind and a following sea, eh?" he asked. "King Haddock must be in a friendly-type mood today." "King Haddock?" Alex asked, slightly confused. "You haven't heard of that old sea dog?" another sailor asked. "Why, he's the ruler of the merpeople, lassie. Thought every good sailor knew about him." "Merpeople, my right!" Nestor declared. "Alexandria, you pay no attention to this nautical nonsense."

"But it ain't no nonsense! It's the truth!" one sailor, who held a fish, said. "I'm tellin' ya, down in the depths of the ocean, they live!" As he had said that, the fish he was holding flopped out of his hand, flopping onto the deck until he was safely out of the ship. "Hoist the masts!" the sailors exclaimed, unfurling the sails. "Man the deck!" They continued sailing back towards the kingdom in the clear skies.

Below the surface of the ocean, the little fish took a second to glance back at the surface. Breathing a sigh of relief, he began swimming away.

As he swam, an octopus, who had been watching, joined the fish, followed by several other colorful fish. As the light of the sun shone down in the ocean, the fish seemed at peace. Suddenly, a young mermaid swam along with the fish. She was then joined by other merpeople, some of them men, others women. Even the youngest mermaids eagerly joined them as they swam toward their underwater realm, the kingdom of Merlantica.

Almost half of Merlantica was gathering at the palace for the king's annual royal concert. As every mermaid and merman gathered inside the royal court and ballroom, the lights began to die down. Soon, a light was shining on a blue fish, the court advisor, as he was swimming madly to the center. Clearing his throat, he announced, "Ahem…His royal highness, King Haddock!" soon, the whole ballroom erupted in cheers as their king arrived in a chariot pulled by dolphins.

The fish then began to make another announcement. "And presenting the distinguished court singer, Bianca Castafiore!" he announced. Soon, a solidly built mermaid, accompanied by a court of seahorses, entered to the mild applause. "Aye, I'm looking forward to this performance," Haddock said. "Oh, Your Majesty, I am certain this will be the finest performance ever conducted!" Castafiore gushed excitedly. "Your subjects—they will be absolutely perfect!" "Aye, yes," Haddock said. "Especially the youngest one, Tintin." "Yes, he has the most beautiful voice!" Castafiore said. Then she paused for a bit. "But if only he'd show up for rehearsals once in a while."

As Castafiore arrived at the center of the court, she then arrived at a stand near the center. After a seahorse presented her with a booklet of sheet music, Castafiore took a deep breath. After singing her signature aria, a conductor then began directing the band in a jovial tune. Soon, three arches sprouted up, with giant seashells. The seashells then opened, revealing the group of singers, King Haddock's subjects. They began to chant:

"Oh, we are the squires of our Majesty Haddock.

A great king who adores us and named us well:

Malina,

Hanna,

Enzo,

Benton,

Yan,

And Young Park!

And then there's the youngest in his musical debut,

Our seventh younger squire, we're presenting him to you,

To sing a song Castafiore wrote, his voice is like a bell,

He's our squire, Tinti—!"

And as the grand seashell began to open and reveal the concert's finale, the other mermaids gasped in shock. The seashell opened, revealing that their young squire, Tintin, was not there! Castafiore was easily the most surprised, gasping in shock and realizing that the concert was being jeopardized.

It was pretty clear that King Haddock was quite upset. He tried to contain himself, but to no avail. He blew his top, and in frustration, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"TINTIN!"


	2. Danger and Adventure

Meanwhile, far from the eyes of the palace and kingdom, a young merman with a ginger quiff eagerly swam up to a broken mast. This was Tintin, the youngest of Haddock's loyal subjects, and easily the most rebellious one yet. When he lost his own family some years ago, he was taken in to the kingdom by Haddock himself, adopted into the royal court, and grew into a spirited adventurer. However, as he grew up, he disliked his daily routines and preferred to go on adventures instead. This one would be one to remember.

"Tintin! Wait for me!" a voice called. Tintin turned and smiled as his friend Chang was catching up to him. "Chang, come on! Hurry up!" Tintin said as he began to swim. Panting heavily, Chang said, "You know, I can never swim as fast as you." "Look," Tintin said, pointing to a sunken ship. "There it is. Isn't it wonderful?" "Um, sure. It's uh, great," Chang said nervously. "Can we please go now?" "You're not getting cold fins, are you?" Tintin asked skeptically. "What, me? No!" Chang said. "You see, it's kind of, um…it looks damp in there. And I think I've caught a fever of some sort." He feigned a cough to avoid going.

"Okay. Well, I'll go inside," Tintin said, swimming away. "You stay outside and keep watch. Just in case any—sharks come by." As he swam away, Chang shrugged and said, "Oh, fine. Fine. I'll just stay here and—sharks?! Tintin, wait!" Chang then rapidly swam up to Tintin.

"Do you really think there could be sharks out there?" Chang asked as he was exploring the shipwreck. He even flinched a little as he saw the silhouette of a shark passing by. "Aw, Chang," Tintin said, feigning sympathy as he examined an empty can with an image of a large crab. "Don't be such a guppy, okay?" He then put the can inside his satchel. "Me, a guppy?" Chang asked. "No! Why would I be? I mean, I like this. Adventure, darkness, danger lurking around every—oh!" Chang gasped in shock as he saw a skull. "You all right?" Tintin asked. "Ha, yes! Never been better!" Chang said, trying to laugh off his accident.

The two friends eagerly swam up to the upper deck. Suddenly, Tintin paused, his eye catching something. "Oh my gosh," Tintin whispered breathily. Something shiny was sticking out of a hole. "Look!" Tintin said as he picked up the object. "Haven't you ever seen anything more wonderful in your life?" "It's nice, but what is it?" Chang asked. "I don't know," Tintin said. "But I bet those two seagulls, the Thompsons, know what this is!" Suddenly, the two heard a noise.

"What was that?" Chang asked. "Now I wonder what this could be?" Tintin asked, eyeing a perfume spray. "Tintin, I really think we should go now," Chang said. "Relax, Chang," Tintin said. "It's not like there's anything here to—"

Suddenly, a large shark rammed through the shipwreck, charging toward the friends! "Come on, let's get out of here!" Tintin exclaimed, swimming away. "No, we're gonna die!" Chang said. As the friends swam away, Tintin accidentally dropped his bag. "No, my satchel!" Tintin exclaimed as he went to get it. He got the satchel, all while nearly missing the shark's chomps. As they swam away, Chang yelled out, "The porthole!" The two friends then swam out of the porthole, just as the shark got wedged right into it!

"Phew," Tintin said, finally catching his breath as the friends began to swim up to the surface. He then smiled at Chang. "You are such a guppy," he said, laughing. "But I'm not," Chang said,

Above the surface, on a large chunk of rock, two seagulls were gallantly chanting a jovial tune. They were the seagulls, Thompson and Thomson. They looked alike, but their fake mustaches gave them away. "Oy, Thompson!" Thomson exclaimed. "Look up ahead!" From a distance, Tintin was yelling, "Thompson and Thomson!"

Thompson, awakened from his nap, brought out his telescope and looked from the wrong way. "What ho!" Thompson exclaimed. "Whoa! Merman off the port bow! Tintin, how you doing, lad?!" He then pulled down his telescope to reveal that Tintin and Chang were already here. "Whoa! What a splash!" Thompson said.

"Thompson! Thomson! Look at what we've found!" Tintin said, placing the items on the rock. Tumbling down from their posts, Thompson and Thomson approached the friends. "These were from a sunken ship," Chang said. "It was very frightening." "Aye, human stuff, eh?" Thompson said. "Let me see." He pulled up the fork and examined it. "Ah, oh yes. Hmm. Never seen one of these before." "Do you know what it is?" Tintin asked. "Why," Thompson said, "it's a dinglehopper!" "Precisely," Thomsons said. "Humans use these here gadgets to, em, straighten their hair!" He took the fork. "Let's see here. A little twist right there, a little twirl there, and voila! These humans would go bonkers over these!" "Wow, a dinglehopper!" Tintin said, eyeing the fork.

"And this one?" Chang said, holding up the pipe and can. "Ah, now these over here," Thompson said, eyeing the items. "Don't think I've ever seen these before. Marvelous! This here can, it's a, um, metal wangdoodle. And this here, is a banded, bulbous…snarfblat!" "Whoa," Chang said. "Now, to be precise," Thomson said as Thompson was banging the can around, "this here object dates back to prehistoric times when humans used to sit and stare. So, they made this here doohickey to make music. Observe." Thomson then took the pipe and blew seaweed out of it.

"Music?" Tintin asked. He suddenly had a realization. "Ach, the concert! Oh no, Haddock's going to kill me!" "The concert was today?" Chang asked. "Sorry, but we have to discuss this some time later!" Tintin said, hastily putting the items back in his bag. "Thanks again, Thompson and Thomson!" He and Chang then swam back below the surface.

In a dark sea cave, two eels with glowing eyes watched the friends swimming back to the kingdom. From inside the sea cave, a serpent-like merman, named Rastapopoulos, watched from his crystal ball. "Yes, hurry home, prince. Wouldn't want to spoil the king's special celebration, eh? Bah! In my day, we had fantastic feasts when I lived in the palace." He then threw a knife across the room. "Now look at me," he muttered to himself. "Banished and forced to live out my life in solitude, while he and his flimsy fish-folk celebrate." He turned to the crystal. "Allan! Tom!" he ordered. "Keep an extra close eye on the young one. He may just be the ticket to the king's undoing…" Rastapopoulos then uttered a low cackle.

Back at the Merlantica palace, Haddock was busy berating Tintin and Chang as they approached him at his throne.

"Ugh, I just don't know what I'm going to do with you, lad," Haddock said, disgusted. "Your Highness, I'm sorry," Tintin said. "I just forgot. You see, I…" "Because of your careless behavior…" Haddock started to say, but Castafiore cut him short, saying, "Careless and reckless behavior, that is!" "Anyway," Haddock continued, "the celebration was, em…" "The celebration was a disaster!" Castafiore exclaimed in a singsong kind of way. "This celebration was going to be the most pivotal moment in my career as court singer!"

"Your Majesty, it was not his fault," Chang said. "We were, um, there was this shark, and we tried to get away, but then there was this big wave that, um, appeared! Then these seagulls, they came, and, um…"

"Seagulls?" Haddock asked. "Why, these two must have visited those seagull experts on humans!" Castafiore said. Haddock was immediately infuriated. "What were you doing up there on the surface?" he asked Tintin. "Nothing! I didn't do anything!" Tintin said. "I…" "Must we go over this a hundred times?" Haddock muttered. "You could've been spotted by those savages, those, those…humans!" "Your Highness, they're not savages!" Tintin protested. "They're dangerous!" Haddock shouted. "You think I want to see my young squire get snarled by some beast's hook?"

"Ach, Haddock! I'm a growing man!" Tintin exclaimed. "Just stop treating me like a child!" "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young man!" Haddock exclaimed. "As long as you live in my kingdom, you live under my rules!" "If you would just listen…" Tintin began to say, but Haddock cut him short. "That's quite enough!" Haddock shouted. "And I will never, and I mean never, hear talk of you going to the surface again! Are we clear?" Tintin thought of a mean thing to say, but instead, welling up with tears, swam off, with Chang following him.

"Peh, teenagers," Castafiore said. "They always think they know everything. Give them an inch, and they swim over you." "Hmm, do you think I was a bit harsh on the boy?" Haddock asked. "Heavens, no!" Castafiore said. "Why, if Tintin was my boy, I'd show him who was in charge. None of that swimming nonsense, no, no. Completely under control."

"You're right," Haddock said. "Tintin needs constant supervision." "Oh, yes. Constant," Castafiore said. "Someone to watch over him and keep him out of trouble," Haddock said. "Which is why you. Castafiore, will keep an eye on that boy." "Oh dear," Castafiore said, slightly concerned.


	3. Part of this World

Inside the royal court, the other subjects were talking about what they wanted to expect for their next performance yet to come. "I sure hope the next performance we hold will be even bigger and better!" Hanna said. "Me too," Yan said. "I want to sing more." "Well, I'm sure we can make this performance even better with Tintin," Benton said. "Yea. What happened today was a big flop," Young said with a smile.

As the others were talking, Yan noticed Tintin swimming in a depressed manner. She felt sad to see him like this. While the others weren't watching, Yan snuck away from the group and followed Tintin.

As Yan swam away from the palace, she found Tintin swimming into a deep inset of rock. Curious, she followed him. As she did, she came upon a rather astounding sight. This place was what Tintin called his "secret hideout". It was full of rows and rows of trinkets and items, objects that were used by the humans above. Yan peered inside as she found Chang talking to Tintin, who held up a small, ornate mirror.

"Are you okay?" Chang asked. Tintin sighed heavily. "If only I could just get Haddock to understand," he said. "I just don't want to see things the way he sees them. I really don't see how a world that makes such amazing things…seems so dangerous. I mean…

Look at these things

Aren't they neat?

Wouldn't you think it's almost complete?

Wouldn't you think I'm the guy

The guy who owns everything?

Look at this trove!

Mysteries untold!

How many marvels can one cavern hold?

Looking around here you'd think

Yes, he has everything.

I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty

I've got whosits and whatsis all 'round.

You want thingamabobs? I have twenty!

But who cares?

No big deal

I want more…

I want to be where the people are

I want to see

Want to see them dancing

Walking around on those…

What do you call them? Oh, feet!

Flipping your fins you don't get too far

Legs are needed for jumping, dancing

Strolling along down a…What's the word? Street!

Up where they walk

Up where they run

Up where they stay all day in the sun

Wandering free,

Wish I could be

Part of that world

What can I give

If I could live

Out of this ocean?

What will I pay

To spend a day

Warm on the sand?

I bet that on land

They would understand

Bet they don't reprimand their sons

Smart young men

Sick of swimming

Ready to stand

And ready to know what the people know

Ask them my questions

And look for answers

What's a fire and why does it…What's the word? Burn?

When will it be my turn?

Wouldn't I love

Love to explore that place above?

Out of this sea

Wish I could be

Part of this world

As Yan was watching, she accidentally tripped on a music box and tumbled inside, knocking over the objects and clutter. "Yan!" Tintin exclaimed. "Tintin!" Yan said. "Are you crazy? How could you…" She stopped and looked all around. "What is all this stuff?" she asked.

"Um, it's just my, uh…collection…" Tintin said. "Your collection?" Yan asked. "Oh, what would the king say? If he saw this place, he'd…" "You won't tell him, will you?" Chang asked. "Please Yan, he just won't understand," Tintin said.

"Oh, Tintin," Yan said. "You do look a tad bit tense." She then grabbed Tintin by the arm. "Come, why don't we go back to the palace and get you something warm to drink?" As they began to swim, Tintin saw a ship passing by overhead. Curious, he swam away. "Tintin?" Yan asked. She then saw Tintin swimming away. "Tintin!"

As Tintin came up to the surface, he saw fireworks exploding in the sky as the ship sailed by. "Tintin!" Yan exclaimed. "Burst my bubbles, come back here!" Tintin swam up to the ship and watched in awe. He saw sailors happily dancing. Snowy and Rascal were dancing a small jig until they caught sight of Tintin. Sniffing the deck, the two creatures sniffed Tintin as well.

"Snowy! Rascal! Come here, guys!" Alex called out. "Come here!" Alex's mother Treasure, the queen, told Alex," "Alexandria, you really need to train those animals to be polite. As a princess, you need to learn that." "I know, Mom," Alex said. Tintin could not help but stare in awe at Alex's beauty. She was so pretty! A real angel, she was!

"What ho, Tintin!" The Thompson seagulls were flying by Tintin, who turned around. "Guys, be quiet! They'll hear you!" Tintin hissed. "Ah, yes! Of course!" Thompson said. "Precisely!" Thomson said. "We're here to discover!" Tintin then grabbed both seagulls by the beaks and pulled them close. "Wow, I've never seen a human this up close," Tintin said, staring in awe at Alex. "Hmm," Thompson said, eyeing Snowy. "Aye, she's a bit hairy if you ask me." "No, not the dog," Tintin said. "The one playing the snarfblat."

"Attention, please," Nestor said as the dancing and singing died down long enough for Alex to appear. "The queen and I are proud to present our beloved Princess Alexandria with a special and highly extravagant gift for her birthday." "Oh Nestor, please!" Alex said. "You shouldn't have!" "I know, milady," Nestor said. "Happy birthday, my princess." He pulled off the cape, revealing a rather large, gaudy statue of Alex in a flowing gown. Snowy growled and charged, but Treasure caught him in time.

"Wow, Nestor," Alex said, feeling rather taken aback. "It's, um…it's…it's really something." "Precisely," Nestor told her. "I had it commissioned myself. Of course, this would have been a gift for the presentation of your royal suitors, but…" "Please Nestor, don't start," Alex muttered. "You're still not sore because I rejected the prince of Valdania, are you?" "Oh Alexandria," Nestor said, "it's not just me. The whole kingdom wants to see you finally happy with the perfect man." "Well, the perfect guy should be out there somewhere," Alex said, staring wistfully into the night sky. "I just haven't found him yet." "Maybe you're just not looking hard enough," Treasure said.

"Oh, I will," Alex said. "Believe me, when I find him, I'll know, without a doubt. Maybe it'll just—bam!—hit me, like lightning…"

Suddenly, the clouds grew dark. Lightning and thunder crashed as the smooth waves began to grow choppy. "Hurricane a-comin'!" one sailor shouted. "Quick, Alexandria!" Treasure said. "Let's get out of here!" Treasure and Alex both grabbed Rascal and Snowy and hurried from the deck. "Secure the ropes!" the sailors commanded as the others tied the ropes onto their posts. "Stand fast!"

"Whoa!" Thompson and Thomson both yelled as the wind swooped them high into the air. "Storm's whipping up quite a gale! Whoa, Tintin!" Tintin, being practically startled by the storm, tried to swim away.

As the ship was steering clear of disaster ahead, Alex suddenly spotted a rock looming overhead. The ship was already beginning to catch fire after lightning struck it. "Look out!" Alex cried. But it was too late. The ship had crashed into the rocks. Everyone was leaping overboard, including the queen and Alex. "Hang on, Mom!" Alex cried out. She then noticed that Snowy and Rascal were still on board. "Jump, you guys!" Alex shouted. Snowy and Rascal obeyed, and they both jumped into the sea, swimming up to Treasure and Nestor. Then, the ship exploded, right near Alex!

"ALEXANDRIA!" Treasure exclaimed. Alex tried to swim to her, but the waves kept crashing onto her and she sank into the ocean. Tintin, who had been watching, saw Alex drowning. In a flash, Tintin grabbed Alex and pulled her up towards the surface.


	4. Rescue and Fun under the Sea

On the next morning, after the storm had passed, Tintin finally managed to drag an unconscious Alex onto the shore. As he did, he took a moment to see if she really was alive still. Luckily, the Thompsons hovered by to see what would happen.

"Aye, what do you make of this, Thomson?" Thompson asked, eyeing the princess. "To be precise, I have no idea," Thomson said. "Is she dead, really?" Tintin asked. "Hmm," Thompson said, lifting Alex's eyelid. "I don't know." Thomson put his ear to Alex's left foot; she only had one button boot on. "To be precise, I can't make a heartbeat!"

"No, listen!" Tintin said, putting his ear to Alex's chest. "I can hear it, she's breathing!" He paused for a minute. "She's so pretty." He slowly began to sing:

"What can I give

To live where you are?

What would I do

To stay right beside you?

What must I do to see you

Smiling at me?

Where could we go?

Where could we run?

If we could spend all day in the sun?

Just you and me

And I can be

Part of your world…"

As Tintin was done singing, he then noticed Treasure, Snowy, and Rascal racing up to Alex. He then made a dash toward the water and swam away in a flash.

"Alexandria!" Treasure exclaimed just as Alex was coming round. "Oh, Alexandria! You had me worried sick! You know, a princess should return to her castle once she's come round." "Mom," Alex said, still dazed. "Some guy, he…he saved me. And he was singing; he had such a pretty voice!" "Come now, I think you've drank enough seawater for one day," Treasure said, grabbing Alex's arm. "Off we go. Come, Snowy and Rascal." She then took Alex back to their castle.

As they left, Tintin, who now joined Chang and Yan, prepared to dive back down below the surface. "That was a bit of a rush, don't you think?" Yan asked. "You know what? The king must not know. You don't tell, and I don't tell. We're finally at peace."

But Tintin paid no attention. Climbing onto a rock, he gazed at Alex and Treasure as they headed toward the castle. The wind blowing in the atmosphere, he sighed happily. "I don't know when," he sang:

I don't know how

But I know something will happen right now

Watch and you'd see

Someday I'll be

Part of this world!"

Waves crashed between the ocean's surface as Tintin took one last gaze upon the human world. From a distance, Tom and Allan were watching. With sickening grins, they reported back to Rastapopoulos.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Rastapopoulos said, feigning despair. "This is just too easy. The boy is in love with a human! And not just any normal human—a princess! His king would love this! That blasted king Haddock's headstrong, lovesick squire may just be a charming addition to my little plan…"

Back at the palace under the surface, Tintin had gone to his room, replaying that wonderful moment when he met Alex after rescuing her from the storm. But his friends were wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"Tintin?" Malina asked. "Hey, time to come out, bud. You've been in that dressing room all morning." Tintin finally came out, humming a little tune to himself. "What is up with that kid?" Young asked. As Haddock was approaching, Tintin nearly missed him. "Oh, good morning, Your Majesty," Tintin said, then continued swimming away. "Oh dear, he's got it bad," Hanna said. "What? What has he got?" Haddock asked. "Don't you think it's obvious?" Enzo asked. "Tintin's in love." "Tintin? In love?" Haddock asked. From a distance, Castafiore overheard, and she decided to find out.

"Okay, this is good," Yan said to herself. "Good thing the king doesn't know. Don't know how this will be kept a secret for long." She then joined Tintin, who was leaning against a rock, slowly picking off the petals of a flower. "Hmm, she loves me," Tintin said, plucking a petal. "She loves me not." As he reached the last petal, he smiled. "She does love me! I knew it!"

Unfortunately, Castafiore overheard and burst in on the conversation. "Oh, my dear Tintin!" she exclaimed. "Why are you speaking in that manner?" "Yan!" Tintin said. "What?" Yan asked vaguely. "I just gotta see her again, tonight!" Tintin exclaimed. "Oh Tintin, will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water?" Castafiore asked, making Yan seem a bit annoyed. "I got it!" Tintin said. "I'll swim up to her castle. Chang will splash lots of water for her attention, and…and…"

"Oh, stop it!" Castafiore told Tintin, grasping him. "Down here IS your home! My dear, listen to me. That human world—it's a mess! Life under the sea is better than anything up there!

The seaweeds are always greener

In some other's lake

You long for going up there

But that is a big mistake

Just look at the world around you

Right here on the ocean floor

Such marvelous things surround you

What more are you searching for?

Under the sea

Under the sea

My dear, it is better

Down where it's wetter

You take it from me!

Up on the shore, they work all day

Out in the sun, they slave away

While we are devoting

Full time to floating

Under the sea!

Down here all the fish are happy

As off through the waves they swim

The fish on the land are not happy

They're sad, for they're in their bowl

But the fish in the bowl is very lucky

They're in for a worser fate

For when the boss gets hungry

Guess who is on the plate?

Under the sea

Under the sea

Nobody beats us

Fry us and eat us

In fricassee

We what the land folk love to cook

Under the sea we're off the hook

We have no troubles

Life is all bubbles

Under the sea

Each little clam here

Knows how to play here

Under the sea

Each little slug here

Be cutting their rugs here

Under the sea

Each little snail here

Knows how to sing here

That's why it's better

Under the water

Yes! We are in luck here

Down in the muck here

Under the sea! Ha ha ha ha!

But as the Castafiore and her fish band had finished their song about the joys of the sea, they discovered that Tintin had left. "Tintin?" Castafiore called out. "Tintin? Oh dear. Someone really has to nail that boy's fins to the ground."

Suddenly, a royal messenger approached Castafiore, panting heavily. "Castafiore!" the messenger said. "Oh, Castafiore. I've been looking everywhere for you! I have an urgent message from the king!" "Oh?" Castafiore asked. "What is it?" Yan asked. "He requests your presence right away!" the messenger said. "He wants to see you right away—something about his squire Tintin!" Yan gasped in shock. "He knows about it!" she whispered.


	5. Sadness by Fire

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Haddock was at his throne, silently staring at the flower that he saw Tintin grab when he swam out of the palace. "Hmm, let's see now," he said. "My squire in love…oh, now who would that lucky mermaid be?" He then noticed Yan and Castafiore peeking inside. "Ah! You two have arrived!" he said. "Come in."

"Don't overreact," Yan told herself. "I will be calm." As she and Castafiore entered the throne, Yan was the first to approach Haddock. "Yes?" she squeaked. Then she cleared her throat. "Um, yes, Your Majesty?" she asked again, in a normal voice.

"Now, you two," Haddock said, "I'm a wee bit concerned about that lad Tintin. Have you noticed he's been a bit…strange lately?" "Strange, you say?" Castafiore asked. "Aye, you know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to himself…have you noticed?" "Oh, well I…em…" Yan started to say. "Yan," Haddock said sternly. "Huh?" Yan asked. "You've been keeping secrets from me," Haddock told her. "Me?" Yan said. "About Tintin? In love?" Haddock said, narrowing his eyes. Yan tried to hold it in, but to no avail. She burst out.

"Oh, Your Highness!" Yan exclaimed. "I tried to stop him! He just won't listen! I tried to keep him from humans—they're nothing but trouble, and…and…" "Humans?!" Haddock thundered. "What about humans?!" "Humans?" Yan asked. "Oh no, no. Who said anything about…" Yan tried to finished, but Haddock dragged her out of the palace in fury.

Meanwhile, Chang was excitedly leading Tintin back to his hideout. He had told Tintin there was a surprise waiting for him there, and Tintin closed his eyes conveniently.

"Chang, what is it that you have to show me?" Tintin asked as the friends reached the cave. "You'll see!" Chang said. As they stopped, Tintin opened his eyes and gasped. It turned out that the statue of Alex had sunken right into the cave! "Oh my gosh, Chang!" Tintin exclaimed. "Chang, you're the best! It even looks a lot like her!" He swirled around the statue. "Why, hello there, my flower," Tintin said, pretending to talk to the statue. "What's that? Run away with you? This is all so…sudden!" Laughing, Tintin embraced the statue, until he noticed a shadow looming over him, Tintin turned and found Haddock. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed.

"I consider myself a reasonable king," Haddock said. "I set certain rules here, and I expect those rules to be obeyed." "But Haddock!" Tintin said. "I…" "Tell me, is it true that you rescued a human?" Haddock asked. "You don't understand!" Tintin said. "I had to…" "Contact between the human world and our world is strictly prohibited, Tintin!" Haddock yelled. "You need to learn that!"

"Your Majesty! She could have died!" Tintin protested. "One less human to worry about!" Haddock shouted. "You don't even know her!" Tintin said. Haddock scoffed at Tintin's naivete. "Huh? Know her?" Haddock asked. "I don't have to know her! They're all the same! Spineless, savage, harpooning, mad beasts, incapable of anything…" "But Haddock! I love her!" Tintin exclaimed.

"What?!" Haddock questioned. "Have you lost your mind?! She's a human, you're a merman!" "I don't care!" Tintin shouted.

"So help me, Tintin, I am going to have to get through with you!" Haddock thundered. "And if this is the only way you'll learn…" Haddock then ignited his trident, glowing a bright yellow, "then so be it."

Raising his trident, Haddock then delivered massive bolts of lightning all around the sea cave, destroying every single one of the artifacts that the friends had gathered. "Haddock, no! Stop!" Tintin pleaded, but Haddock would not listen. Chang and Yan could not help but stare in horror as each and every one of Tintin's artifacts were burned away. "No! Haddock, please! Stop! Don't do this!" Tintin cried out.

As Haddock was nearly done destroying the items, his eyes rested on the statue of Alex. Igniting his trident in full force, he aimed it right toward the statue, his trident glowing a deep red. "Haddock! NO!" Tintin cried out, but to no avail. Angrily, Haddock released a beam of lightning from his trident, blasting the statue into a pile of rubble!

Tintin gasped in full horror and shock. After the blast, Haddock turned angrily to Tintin. His eyes welling up with tears, Tintin swam out of the sea cave, sobbing and crying. Yan felt horrible for upsetting Tintin like this.

Yan flitted out of the sea cave, where she then found Tintin lying on a bed of rock from a faraway distance, his face buried in his arms, sobbing silently to himself. "Oh Tintin," Yan said, putting a hand to Tintin's shoulder. "I'm really sorry. If I had just…" Tintin then noticed Yan's hand approaching, and angrily pushed her away. "No! Get away from me!" he yelled. Yan jerked away, frightened. When she tried to approach him calmly, Tintin pushed her back. "Go on! Get out of here!" Tintin shouted, angry and upset. Feeling extremely upset, Yan swam away.

Tintin kept crying softly to himself, but after a few minutes, he didn't even bother to notice the two pairs of glowing eyes above him.

"Poor child…"

"You poor, sweet child…"

Tintin slowly poked his head up, but he couldn't see where the voices were coming from. "Hello?" he asked.

"He does have a serious problem."

"If there was something we could do."

"There is something."

Suddenly, the two eels, Tom and Allan, slowly creeped out from opposite sides from where Tintin was seated. Tintin was pretty frightened at the sight. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Do not be afraid," Tom whispered, circling Tintin. "We represent someone who can help you," Allan sneered. "Someone who will make all your wishes come true," Tom replied. "Just imagine," the two eels hissed. "You," Tom said. "And your princess," Allan said. "Together, forever," they said in unison. "I don't quite understand," Tintin said.

"Why, Rastapopoulos has great powers," Allan told Tintin. "That sea witch?" Tintin said. "That's…I couldn't possibly—no. Just get away from me. Just go."

"Suit yourself," Tom said. As he and Allan slithered away, Tintin had a rare thought. Maybe, just maybe, he thought. Allan then thrust the statue's broken face toward Tintin. Tintin thought long and hard.

"Wait a minute," Tintin said. "Yeeeeeeeesss?" Tom and Allan hissed. "I'll go," Tintin said.

Back at the sea cave, Chang took one last look at the shattered artifacts. "Poor Tintin," he sighed. "This was all my fault," Yan said. "I should've never told Haddock." She then noticed Tintin swimming away. "Tintin! Where are you going?" she asked. "I'm going to see Rastapopoulos," Tintin said. "But you can't!" Yan said. "He's a monster, a beast!" Tintin gave Yan a nasty look. "Then why don't you go tell Haddock that? You can do that," Tintin muttered angrily.

"Wait! I…I…" Yan started to say, but Tintin was gone. "Come on," she told Chang. Together, they swam off to pursue Tintin.


	6. That Poor, Unfortunate Soul

"This way, my boy."

Tom and Allan led Tintin to a bad part of the ocean, right toward a murky sea cave. As the two eels entered, Tintin seemed hesitant to enter. As he did enter, Tintin then got entangled in a garden of lost souls.

"Come now, come in, my child," a voice said. "We mustn't lurk in doorways, it's rude." Tintin wriggled himself free and entered. He found himself ina dark cavern full of potions, spells, and skulls. "Hello?" he called out. "One might question your own upbringing," the voice said. Tintin turned and found himself face to face with Rastapopoulos.

"Now then," Rastapopoulos said, grasping Tintin's arm. "You're here because you have a thing for this…human, I should say. This, em, princess. Not that I'd disagree, she is quite an angel, if I do say so myself. "Well, my boy, the solution to your problem is quite simple. The only way to get what you want…is to become a human yourself."

"You can do that?" Tintin asked. "Of course, my dear," Rastapopoulos said. "That's what I'm known for—it's what I live for. Helping such unfortunate fishfolk like you. Poor souls with no one else to turn to.

I admit that in the past I've been nasty

They weren't joking when they called me, well, a beast

But you'll find that nowadays

I've learned the error of my ways

Repented, seen the light and made a switch

True? Of course

And fortunately, I know a little magic

It's a talent that I always have possessed

And here lately, please don't laugh

I use it on my onw behalf

Of the miserable, lonely, and depressed

Peh! Pathetic.

Poor unfortunate souls

In pain

In need

That one longing to be leaner

That one wants to get the girl

And do I help them?

Yes I do

These poor unfortunate souls

So sad

So true

They come flocking to my cauldron

Crying, "Spells! Roberto, please!"

And do I help them?

Yes I do

Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I have to rake them 'cross the coals

Yes, I've had the odd complaint

But on the whole, I've been a saint

To those poor unfortunate souls!

Rastapopoulos then took Tintin around the cavern, trying to entice him with his offer. "Now, here's the deal, " Rastapopoulos said. "I will make you a potion that can turn you into a human for three days. Got it? Three days. Now listen here, this is important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get that little princess to fall in love with you. That is, she has to kiss you. But not just any kiss—a kiss of true love. If she does kiss you, you'll remain a human permanently. But, if she doesn't, you turn back into a merman, and—you belong to me."

"No Tintin!" Yan hissed, but was then silenced by Tom and Allan.

"Have we got ourselves a deal?" Rastapopoulos inquired. Tintin was still hesitant. "But, if I become human," he said, "then…then I won't be able to see the king or my friends again." "That's right," Rastapopoulos said. "But you'll have your princess. Life is full of difficult choices, no? Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment." He then turned to face Tintin. "You can't get anything for nothing, you know."

"But I don't have any…" Tintin started to say. "Oh, I'm not asking much of you," Rastapopoulos said. "Just a token, really, a trifle. You won't even miss it. What I want from you, my boy, is…your voice."

"My voice?" Tintin asked. "That's right, dear," Rastapopoulos said. "No more talking, no more singing, none!" "But, without my voice, how will I…?" Tintin began to ask. "You've got your looks!" Rastapopoulos said. "Your pretty little face! And never underestimate the importance of body language! Ha!

Ladies up there don't like a lot of blabber

They think a man who gossips is a bore!

Yes, on land, it's much preferred

For men not to say a word

And after all, boy, what is idle prattle for?

Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation

True women avoid it when they can

But they dote and swoon and fawn

On a man who's withdrawn

It's he who holds his tongue who gets the girl

Those poor unfortunate souls

Go ahead!

Make your choice!

I'm a very busy man

And I don't have all day

It won't cost much—

Just your voice!

You poor unfortunate soul

It's sad

But true

If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet

You've got to pay the toll

Take a hint and take a breath

So go ahead and sign the scroll!

Tom! Allan! Now I've got him, boys!

The boss is on a roll

This poor,

Unfortunate,

Soul!"

Tintin seemed pretty reluctant for the offer, but more than anything else, he wanted to be with Alex. Haddock would never accept him for who he really was, but Tintin didn't care. He then took the plume, and with closed eyes, signed the contract. Yan and Chang gasped in horror.

Rastapopoulos then took the contract, which disappeared in his hands. Staring into the cauldron, he began to conjure his spell:

"Paluga, sabruga, come winds of the Cantorian Seas…"

All around the cavern, green light was swirling as the spell was being executed.

"Narenxas, glossitis, and max laryngitis," Rastapopoulos chanted, "La voce to me!" He then created green, ghostlike hands before him. "Now," Rastapopoulos told Tintin, "sing!"

Breathing deeply, Tintin began to sing. " Aaaaaaah…Aaaaaaah… Aaaaaaah…"

"Keep singing!" Rastapopoulos ordered, maneuvering the hands toward Tintin. Tintin still kept singing with his voice. Soon, the hands dove straight into Tintin's mouth, extracting his voice. Soon enough, the hands had ripped Tintin's own voice out of him. Tintin watched as his voice traveled into a jade-green gem on Rastapopoulos's amulet.

Rastapopoulos began to cackle menacingly. Suddenly, a bright orange orb of light swallowed Tintin, preparing to transform him into a human. Tintin twisted and jerked in terrible pain as the transition was beginning. As Yan and Chang gasped in horror, Tintin's tail split in two, transforming into human legs.

As the orb of light disappeared, Tintin clutched his mouth, trying to gasp for air. But without his tail, he couldn't swim. "Quick! We have to take him up to the surface to breathe!" Chang said. "He's not a merman anymore!" Yan and Chang grabbed Tintin from both sides. Then, they rapidly swam toward the surface, with Tintin looking almost ready to pass out from lack of air. With a great splash, Tintin released a gasp of air. Then, Yan and Chang slowly took Tintin to a clear inset of land for him to rest.


	7. Finally Human

During the early afternoon, Alex was strolling along the beach near her castle, playing a little tune on her flute as she walked. She had just finished yet another long day of lectures and lessons on how to be a proper princess. Snowy was prancing around on the sand while Rascal was digging up a little shell. Snowy leaned in to get a better look, and soon the two were play fighting with each other.

"That voice," Alex muttered. "I can't even get it out of my head. I know that guy must be out there somewhere. I'm sure of it." Snowy noticed Alex and gave a sympathetic woof as Alex patted his head. "I mean, I've looked everywhere, guys," Alex told Snowy and Rascal. "Goodness knows where he could be."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the shore, near a small clearing surrounded by a large inset of rocks and boulders, Tintin laid unconscious on a bed of rock, washed up on the shore. Yan and Chang, exhausted from that mad dash earlier, came up to the shore to rest. Panting heavily, Yan flopped down helplessly on a rock. Tintin then woke up, his eyes fluttering open. He couldn't remember what happened to him, or where he was. Suddenly, Tintin noticed his legs. He lifted one leg up and stared at it. He finally had feet! Tintin smiled with joy and amazement as he began to wiggle his toes.

"Ho, ho! Well, look at what the catfish dragged in!" a voice yelled out. The friends looked up and saw the Thompsons hovering above them. Thompson immediately caught sight of Tintin and flew down, landing on Tintin's leg. "Ha! Look at you!" Thompson said eagerly. "Just look at you!" Then, he paused for a minute. "Oy, something's different about you, boy," Thompson said, staring at Tintin. He thought long and hard for a minute. "Oh, I got it!" he said. "It's your hair, ain't it? You've been using that dinglehopper, eh?" Still smiling, Tintin nodded his head no. "No?" Thomson then added in. No, eh? Well, let me see…Ah, new eyes!" Tintin knew it would be a challenge for the Thompsons to guess, so he decided to move his leg to give them a hint. "Oh, not new eyes?" Thompson asked. "I do admit, I can't put my foot on it now, but if I stand here long enough, I know that I'll…"

"Thompson, you baboon!" Yan exclaimed, finally getting desperate. "He's got legs now!" "What?!" Thompson asked, flying off of Tintin's leg. "New legs?" "Yes, new legs!" Yan said. "Tintin traded his voice to that beast and got legs. Seriously…" "I knew that," Thompson said. "Yes, Tintin's been turned into a human," Chang said. "He has to make the princess fall in love with him, and she has to…she has to kiss him."

While the others were busy talking, Tintin slowly got to his feet and tried to stand. As he struggled to stand up, he finally got a perfect balance. But, with his legs trembling violently, he lost his balance and fell back in the water, splashing the friends.

"And he's only got three days! Just look at him!" Yan said, gesturing to Tintin as he rose back up. "On legs! On human legs! Oh, this is really not good! What would the king say? I know what he'll say! He'd say he's going to banish someone, that's what! I'm going to march right up there and tell it straight to him!" Tintin plucked a strand of seaweed off his head. As he noticed Yan ranting, he then got down and tried to calm Yan.

"No, don't shake your head like that, Tintin!" Yan said sadly. "Maybe there's still time. If we can get that witch to change you back and give you your voice, you can go back home with the normal fish and…" She paused. "and…just be miserable all your life." Tintin gave Yan a sad look. Yan could not help but feel compelled. "Oh, all right! All right!" Yan said. "I'll help you find that princess." Smiling with joy, Tintin gave Yan a big hug. "Oh, I've become quite a softie," Yan said as Tintin stood back up again.

"Ah, now listen here, my boy!" Thompson told Tintin. "If you're going to be a human, the first thing you have to do is dress like one!" "Precisely!" Thomson added. Tintin then looked down at him and immediately realized he was naked. Turning to his friends, Tintin's face turned bright red. "Hmm, now let me see," Thompson said. He then caught sight of a torn sail, and he had an idea.

While Alex and her pets were strolling through the beach, Snowy and Rascal were sniffing through the sand. Suddenly, Snowy caught whiff of something. Without warning, Snowy and Rascal then made a dash in front of Alex. "What…?" Alex asked. "Hey! Hey, wait!" She then chased the two animals as they ran.

Back at the clearing, the Thompsons had then taken the old sail and had Tintin wear it as a makeshift covering. "Hoooeee!" Thompson exclaimed. "You look great, my boy! You look…stunning!" Tintin admired the covering and flaunted a somewhat awkward pose.

Suddenly, they heard barking. The Thompsons, Yan, and Chang all whisked away, leaving Tintin out. As Snowy was rapidly approaching, he began to chase Tintin around a small boulder. Finally giving up, Tintin came to rest on the boulder, with Snowy bouncing right up and licking Tintin's face. Rascal also pounced onto Tintin, who then began to pet him as well.

"Snowy! Rascal! Hey!" Alex called out as soon as she caught up to them. Snowy and Rascal then ran toward her. "Now what's gotten into you, guys?" she asked them. Then, she looked up and saw Tintin. "Oh…Oh I see," she said, slowly approaching Tintin. "Are you okay, sir? I'm terribly sorry if these two knuckleheads here frightened you. They're friends, really, and they…um…" She then paused to look at Tintin. "You…you seem familiar…to me," Alex said. "Have we met before?" Tintin nodded yes eagerly.

"We have met?" Alex asked. Suddenly, it hit her. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "I knew it! You're the one—the one I was searching for! What's your name, anyway?" Tintin tried to say his name, but only mouthed it silently. Tintin clutched his throat and gasped. He realized that he couldn't talk anymore. "What's the matter? What's wrong?" Alex asked. "You can't speak?" Tintin slowly nodded his head no. "Oh," Alex said dejectedly. "Then I guess you weren't the one."

Tintin turned to Snowy and Rascal. They seemed pretty frustrated. In an effort to prevent Alex from leaving, Tintin tried to communicate with Alex by using his hands. "What's that?" Alex asked, trying to understand. "You…You're hurt?" Tintin shook his head and tried again, slowly standing up. "Oh, no…You need help? Is that it?" Alex asked. Suddenly, Tintin lost his balance and fell into Alex's arms.

"Whoa now, be careful," Alex said as she caught Tintin. "Easy, easy…" she then helped Tintin to his feet. It did seem pretty clear that Tintin needed help after all. "Gee, you must've been through a lot, huh?" she asked. "Don't worry, I'll help you. Come on. It's okay." Alex then took Tintin back to her castle.

As Yan had been watching from afar, she sensed something bad would happen. She noticed a tiny crab on the shore and grabbed it. "Little fellow," she told it, "go follow those humans and try to see what's going on." The crab then nodded its little head and pursued the two.


	8. A New Home

Back at the castle, many of Alex's subjects were quite surprised to see their princess walking a half-naked stranger into the castle. But all the same, they did feel sorry for Tintin. During the rest of the afternoon, they all did their best to make Tintin feel right at home in the castle.

After the long walk back to the castle and meeting the servants, Tintin then found himself inside a large wash basin full of warm water and soapy bubbles. As he lifted his hand up to scoop up a bit of the soap, Tintin noticed a large bubble. He stuck out his tongue to taste it, and in an instant, wrinkled his face in disgust. The bubble did not taste good.

One of the servants, a woman named Ellie, took a look at Tintin and sighed. "Washed up from a shipwreck," she said. "Oh, the poor boy. We'll have you feeling better in no time." She then picked up the cover up that Tintin wore when Alex found him. "And I'll just get this, um…washed for you," Ellie said, proceeding out the door.

Inside the washing room, the little crab searched everywhere for Tintin, until it landed in a bucket of towels and shirts. It watched as the servants took garments one by one and soaking them in water. Then, one servant grabbed a tailcoat from which the crab was hiding and began to wash it. "Well, you must have at least heard about that boy," one servant said. "You know, Maria once said…" another servant began to say, but she paused, "since when has Maria got anything right? I mean, seriously. The boy shows up in rags and cannot speak…" "You know, that isn't my idea of a prince," one woman said. "If the princess is looking for a man, I know a couple of highly available ones here…"

The crab was hopelessly trying to escape the water, until at last, he freed himself and scurried off in a flash.

In the castle foyer, Alex was talking with Nestor about her plans to find the mystery boy that she was always talking about. "Come now Alexandria, be reasonable," Nestor said. "Nice young men don't just swim around rescuing people in the ocean and—flutter into oblivion, like some…" "But Nestor, I'm telling you, he was real!" Alex said, waving a book in her hand. "I will find that guy, and I'll have him as my prince."

"Okay, easy now. Come on out, dear. Don't be shy," Ellie's voice was heard. The two turned and found Tintin, neatly dressed in a yellow and brown suit. "My word, Alexandria, isn't he a vision?" Nestor said as he caught sight of the boy. "Wow, you look…amazing," Alex told Tintin, who hid his face in his hand. "Come, come my boy," Nestor said, taking Tintin's hand. "Come, you must be hungry. Let me help you, my boy."

"Ah, yes, you finally came!" Treasure said as the three entered the dining room. "I see that we have a new guest here. And tell me, my dear, you've found everything nice here?" Tintin still stood there, waving at Treasure. "We have a new guest? How delightful!" Professor Calculus said. "He must be from a neighboring kingdom." "He likes it here," Alex said, placing her book down.

"Alexandria, a princess does not place her personal belongings on the table," Treasure remarked. "Ugh Mom, it's just my book," Alex said. "It doesn't matter. A princess should place her books back where they came from," Treasure said. As a servant helped Tintin to his seat, Tintin took a moment to survey his surroundings. "Comfy, are we?" Nestor asked. "You see, it's not often that we have such a handsome guest for dinner, eh Alexandria?" Tintin stared curiously at the plate and untensils before him. He then noticed the fork and immediately picked it up. With excitement, he took the fork and ran it through his quiff. "Em Alexandria," Treasure asked, "is your friend feeling all right there?" Tintin stopped and saw that everyone was staring at them. Feeling rather embarrassed, Tintin put the fork down.

"My, he is quite the charmer, isn't he?" Treasure asked. "He is, isn't he?" Alex said. Looking all around him, Tintin noticed the pipe in Nestor's hand and eagerly took it. "Oh!" Nestor cried out as Tintin admired the pipe. "Uh, you like it? It israther fine, and…Ooh!" Nestor stopped talking, for Tintin blew forcefully on the pipe, dousing Nestor's face in ashes. "Ha, he likes you already!" Alex said, laughing and snorting a bit. "A princess does not chortle, you know," Treasure reminded Alex. "Ugh, Mom," Alex muttered.

"Oh my." Nestor turned and was quite surprised to find Ellie standing by the doorway. "Oh, my apologies, Nestor," Alex said. "Why, Alexandria, that's the first time I've seen you happy in weeks," Ellie said. "Oh yes. Very amusing," Nestor said, wiping his face. "Anyway, Ellie, my dear, what are we having for dinner?" Treasure asked. "Oh, you'll love it," Ellie said. "The chef's been preparing his latest specialty: seasoned crab and roasted potatoes with salad on the side."

Inside the castle kitchen, the tiny crab had wandered away from the chaos that he had to endure. Safe and sound, he pulled up a tiny mirror he had under his shell and used it to call Yan. "Have you found anything?" Yan asked. The crab shook its head. "Oh dear, how are we going to do this?" Yan asked. "Just keep an eye out for Tintin and see if he'll fall in love with this princess any time now." The crab nodded its head in agreement.

The crab was now in the castle kitchen, where the meals for the royal family were prepared there. Somehow, this strange new sight made the crab sick; everywhere it looked, there were dead fish on cutting boards, awaiting their doomed fate! The crab tried to sneak away as much as possible, only to be grabbed by the castle's chef.

"Ho, ho! What have we here?" the chef asked, eyeing the crab in his hand. "A wee crab, is it? Well, you're not getting away this time, eh? Into the sauce you go." As he tried to dip the crab in the sauce, the crab retaliated and pinched the chef's hand. "Ooh!" the chef exclaimed, grasping his finger. "Very well, then, if it's war you want, it is war you'll get!" The two then began to fight as a battle ensued. Each time the chef tried to grab the crab, the crab escaped just in time. A mess of flour, spices, vegetables, and sauce went flying everywhere.

From the dining room, Treasure began to grow suspicious of the commotion on the other side. "Um Ellie, is everything all right in there?" Treasure asked as she heard a huge crash coming from the kitchen. "Maybe I should go check and see what our chef is up to now," Ellie said, heading toward the kitchen.

As she entered the kitchen, she saw that the whole place had been totalled. A dirty and powdered chef, drenched in sauce, was crying out, "You get back here, you sneaky little punk! Come out and fight like a man!" He readied his fists, but as he saw Ellie, he froze. "Chef Gordie!" Ellie demanded. "What on Earth's name are you doing?" The chef began to feel flustered. "Oh! Well, I…I was just, um…eh…My apologies, madam," he said.

After the dinner was finally served in the dining room, Treasure turned to Alex. "Alexandria, my dear," Treasure said, "it seems like this boy is curious to see more outside of the castle. Perhaps our young guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of our kingdom. You know, give him a little tour?" Alex, who was busy daydreaming, then snapped. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mom. What was that?" Alex asked. "You were daydreaming, weren't you?" Treasure asked. "A princess does not let her mind wander around wherever it pleases."

"She's right," Nestor told Alex. "You can't just spend your time moping about, you need to get out for once. At least do something with your life." While not looking, Nestor lifted his plate, revealing the crab shuddering among the leafy greens. As the others were talking, Tintin motioned for the crab to hide in his plate. The crab scurried along and hid under the lid.

"You know, you really need to get your mind off of…" "Easy Nestor. Easy," Alex said. "You know what? That's actually not a bad idea. I'd like to take this guy to see the whole kingdom. If he's interested, that is." She then turned to Tintin. "Well, what do you say? Do you want to come with me on a tour of the kingdom tomorrow?" Leaning heavily on his plat cover, Tintin nodded yes eagerly. "Good! Then it's settled then," Treasure said. "Wonderful!" Professor Calculus said. "Perfect. Now let'seat before this crab wanders off my plate," Nestor said.

After dinner, Tintin was in his new bedroom, surrounded by nice objects and items. After changing into his bedclothes, Tintin peeped out from the balcony and saw Alex with her pets. "Come on, Snowy! You too, Rascal!" Alex said. The pets eagerly jumped on her, and they began to play fight together. "Haha!" Alex laughed. Suddenly, she paused, for she saw Tintin waving excitedly to her. He then noticed that Alex was silent, so Tintin slowly put his hand down and went back inside.

As he did, the crab placed the little mirror on the nightstand, where an image of Yan was instantly conjured up. "Tintin!" Yan exclaimed. "Oh, my gosh! I was wondering what had happened to you! Oh, but I still feel awful that all this happened. I hope you appreciate what we're doing to help you. Anyway, now we need a plan to get that girl to kiss you. Tomorrow, when you go on that ride with her, you have to look good! You need to bat your eyes once, just puker up your lips, like this…" Yan did a demonstration for Tintin to understand better. But Tintin felt tired, so he clambered onto his bed.

"And one more thing," Yan said, "you need to…" Yan paused, for Tintin was fast asleep. "Oh! You're no help, you know that?" she said. "No help at all." The image on the mirror then faded out.


	9. A Chance at Romance

Back under the surface, at the undersea palace, Haddock sat alone at his throne, lost in thought. He knew that getting Tintin to understand that he could not go up to the surface would help, but he never thought it would go so far as for Tintin to leave. He had sent almost every guard on a search party in order to find Tintin and bring him home. Still, even though what he had to do to Tintin was enough, Haddock was worried.

One of the guards swam hurriedly up to Haddock. "Any sign of them?" he asked, worried. "No, Your Highness," the guard replied. "We searched everywhere. There is no sign of Tintin, or his friends." "Then keep looking," Haddock said. "Leave no stone unturned, no shell unexplored. No one sleeps until the boy is brought back home, safe and sound." "I'm on it, sir," the guard replied. Then, he left the palace.

After the guard had left, Haddock went back to his throne. At that moment, Haddock felt horrible for what happened to Tintin. "What have I done?" he muttered to himself. "I just wish I could tell him how sorry I am. I just want him back."

On the next morning, Tintin woke up bright and early, eager to see the kingdom. After straightening his hair, he began to find some plain clothes to wear for the day. After looking in his closet, Tintin finally emerged, wearing a white shirt with a light blue vest, brown trousers, and brown shoes. He secured his pants with a black sash round his waist, and after staring in the mirror, he was ready.

After getting dressed, Tintin waited eagerly outside his room, expecting Alex to come. Minutes passed, and she didn't seem to come. Tintin grew worried. While exploring the corridors, Tintin began to hear a woman's voice. And he guessed it must have been Treasure. He trailed the voice all around until it led to one room at the end of the hall.

The door was open, so Tintin peeped inside. He found Alex seated at a desk littered with books, papers, and envelopes. _Of course_ , Tintin thought. _Alex is having one of those, um…princess lectures. Her mother's obviously teaching her how to be a princess! That's kinda like me…back home. I wonder when she'll come out._ He also saw that Alex was getting pretty bored by her lessons right now.

"…as you've no doubt seen," Treasure was saying, "a princess must know when the perfect time comes for her to choose the perfect suitor in order to be happy for the rest of her life. But before that time comes, it is essential for a princess to be knowledgeable of her own kingdom."

Tintin tried to come up with a diversion to get Alex's attention. He noticed a button on the floor and picked it up. Through the open doorway, Tintin flicked the button at Alex's head. At that moment, Alex snapped right back. "Huh?" Alex asked, coming around. "Again, really? You know a princess does not daydream," Treasure said. She then noticed Tintin. "Oh, I see now," she said. "Alexandria, since your friend seems so eager to see the kingdom, I guess we can conclude our lesson for today." Alex then got up and walked out the door.

"Finally," Alex told Tintin. "I thought she'd never stop. Okay, let's get on with that tour, okay?" She then led Tintin out of the castle.

After hopping on a carriage pulled by horses, Alex then took Tintin on the tour of the kingdom. Tintin was awestruck by all the sights and places. Everything looked so much bigger in the human world! Alex smiled; she knew that Tintin would enjoy the sights and wonders.

Not too far from a bridge built over a lake connected with the ocean, Yan and Chang popped up from behind a large boulder. "Has he kissed her yet?" Chang asked Yan. "No, no yet," Yan said. "Oh," Chang said as the two swam upstream, leading to the village.

At the village, Alex showed Tintin around the town square. Tintin was amazed at how many booths and stalls sold many interesting items. At one booth, he picked up a flowered drape and spun around in it, looking as if he were wearing it as a dress. The saleswoman smiled as Alex told her about her new friend. Music was playing through the village, and as Tintin heard the music, he took Alex's hand, and the two started dancing.

As Yan and Chang were following Tintin, the Thompsons hovered above them. "Oy, you two!" Thompson yelled, landing on Yan's head. "Has that lad kissed his princess?" "Not yet, he hasn't," Yan said. "Hmm," Thomson said, shaking his head. "Well, they better move on with it." They noticed the carriage riding on the bridge above them. Tintin thought it would be fun to drive the carriage himself, so he took the reins and tried to steer it, which almost got him and Alex into an accident. But the two laughed it off for once.

Later that evening, Alex thought it would be time for her and Tintin to get to kknow each other better, so she asked him if he'd like to go on a boat ride. Tintin eagerly accepted. Soon, they were on a small boat, rowing through a still lagoon. As the sun was setting, the sky was slowly dotted with white stars.

Behind the tall reeds of a bush, Yan and Chang peeped through the reeds. They had to bring Castafiore along, so that they could use a little "assistance." The Thompsons even stopped by as well, with Thompson landing in front of Chang. "Hey, move over!" Chang whispered. "Move your feathers, I can't see anything." "Nothing's happenin'," Thompson said. "Only one day left, and that lass hasn't puckered up. Okay. This calls for a little romantic stimulation!" "Precisely," Thomson said.

The two seagulls then flew over to a nearby branch. Drawing in their breath, they began to sing a song. A pretty awful song, for their notes were sung out of tune. Alex then took notice and feigned pity. "Wow, somebody oughta find that poor animal and put it out of its misery, eh?" she said. Tintin could only shrug in reply.

Castafiore could only watch in embarrassment. "Uh, I am surrounded by amateurs!" she said. "If something has to be done, you must do it yourself. First, to create the mood. Percussion, strings, winds, words…" Soon, the fish that were instantly summoned began to play a delightfully romantic tune. Castafiore's plan was being perfectly executed:

There you see him

Look at him, you know you do

But there's something about him

And you don't know why

But you're dying to try

You want to kiss the boy

From above, Alex noticed the music playing. "You hear something?" she asked. Tintin had no idea what was going on.

"Yes, you want him

Look at him, you know you do

Possible he wants you too

There is one way to ask him

It doesn't take a word

Not a single word

Go on and kiss the boy

Aaaah, sha la la la la la

My, oh my

Looks like the girl is too shy

Not going to kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la

Is it too sad?

Isn't it a shame?

Too bad, she has to kiss the boy

Alex then faced Tintin. "You know, I feel pretty bad that I didn't catch your name," she said. "Maybe I could guess. Is it, um, Howard?" Tintin shook his head no. "No?" Alex asked. "Okay, how about…Richard? Edward?" Soon, while approaching the boat low enough to stay hidden, Yan whispered, "Tintin. His name is Tintin." "Tintin?" Alex said. "Hmm, that's not half bad. Okay, Tintin."

"Now's your moment

Floating in the cool lagoon

Girl, you must do it soon

No time will be better

And he won't say a word

Until you kiss the boy

Aaaah, sha la la la la la

Don't be scared

You have the mood prepared

Go on and kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la

Don't stop now

Don't try to hide it now

You want to kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la

Just float along

And listen to the song

The song says kiss the boy

Sha la la la la la

The music plays

Do what the music says

You have to kiss the boy

You've got to kiss the boy

You want to kiss the boy

You've got to kiss the boy

Go on and kiss the boy."

For the first time, Tintin and Alex's eyes were locked, facing each other in a lovely way. Now Tintin felt such a romantic mood coming along, even Alex. And, just as they were about to lean in and lock lips together, their boat suddenly tipped over, sending the two overboard! "Don't worry! I got you!" Alex said, grabbing Tintin and helping him back on the boat.

From a distance, Tom and Allan watched, sneering with glee. They congratulated each other on executing their plan perfectly.


	10. Torn by Love

After watching the whole event from his crystal ball, Rastapopoulos smiled with delight at the spectacle. He knew that Tom and Allan had made this plan so easy. He had never before planned his ascent to superiority ever so greatly.

"Nice work, boys," Rastapopoulos said. "That was a close one. Perhaps too close. That little pest! Oh, he is better than I thought. At this rate, she'll be kissing him by sunset for sure. Well, it's time that Rastapopoulos himself took matters into his own hands." He then swam to his cauldron, dropping a few spells inside. "Haddock's own squire will be mine—and I'll make him writhe. I'll see him wriggle like a worm on a hook!"

With that notion, he sent a bolt of lightning down the cauldron, filling the cavern with yellow light. Cackling cruelly, Rastapopoulos then began to transform. Soon enough, he had changed his form and turned into a striking young man, changing his name to Robert, and he took control of Tintin's voice.

Later that night, Treasure noticed Alex at the balcony, slowly playing her flute. Treasure came up to Alex and placed her hand on her shoulder. "You know, Alexandria, my dear," Treasure said, "if I may say, far better than any dream boy, would be one of flesh and blood, one kind and caring, and right before your eyes." Alex slowly nodded. As Treasure left, Alex noticed Tintin staring out from his balcony. Sighing heavily, Alex then placed her flute inside the pocket of her cape.

Suddenly, Alex heard a man's singing voice. She looked down at the beach, and noticed a man walking along the shore. Robert was singing…with Tintin's voice! Suddenly, the light from his amulet traveled to Alex's direction. The light then began to glow in Alex's eyes. Alex was being placed under the spell!

On the next morning, the Thompsons were eagerly flying toward the castle. They seemed to be excited about something. "Tintin!" they both shouted. They flew in toward Tintin's bedroom. "Tintin! Wake up, lad!" the two seagulls shouted. Tintin woke up, dazed. "We just heard the news!" Thompson said. "Precisely!" Thomson said. "Congratulations, boy! We did it!"

The mirror in Tintin's room then conjured up an image of Yan, saying, "What are you two gulls talking about now?" "Right, as if you both didn't know, eh?" Thompson asked. "The whole village is talking about the princess finally getting a prince!" "To be precise," Thomson said, "the princess is initiating a prince into the royal household! You silly sidewalker!" "Huh?" Yan asked. "Initiated?" "We just wanted to wish you good luck!" Thompson told Tintin. "We'll catch you later!" Thomson said.

Tintin was excited; he couldn't believe it! Alex finally accepted him as her rightful prince! Brightening up, Tintin rushed out of his bedroom. He was nearly approaching the stairs, until he paused short. He noticed Alex standing next to a mysterious young man. They seemed to be talking with Treasure and Nestor.

"Well," Nestor said nervously, "it seems that I was mistaken. This mystery man of yours does, in fact, exist." "I agree," Treasure said. "And…and he is handsome, indeed. Congratulations, my dear." Robert smiled with joy. "I wish to have him initiated as prince as soon as possible," Alex said.

"What?" Treasure asked. "Oh, em…yes, of course," Nestor said. "Alexandria, you know very well that these things take time, you know," Treasure said. "This afternoon," Alex said. "The royal ship will depart at sunset." "Oh, very well, then," Treasure said. "As you wish, Alexandria."

Tintin couldn't believe what he had just heard. Alex had replaced him with another man as handsome as he was! With tears filling his eyes, Tintin ran off, sobbing as he left.

That afternoon, as the royal ship had departed from the harbor, Tintin sat alone on the pier, with his face buried in his arms, crying silently to himself. Yan and Chang swam up to the surface, watching in remorse as the ship sailed away.

Up in the sky, Thompson and Thomson were humming a little tune to themselves. They happened to pass by the royal ship, so they decided to take a peek. As the hovered down to watch, they peeped through a porthole, watching Robert prepare for the procession.

"Ah, what a handsome prince I'll make," he told himself. "My dear, I'll look divine. Everything is slowly going according to plan. Soon, my ultimate design will be complete. Soon, I'll have that boy, and the ocean will be mine!" Robert stared into the mirror, and at that instant, a reflection of Rastapopoulos, his true form, stared back at him.

Thompson and Thomson both gasped in horror. It was Rastapopoulos disguised as Robert! He was plotting to be welcomed as Alex's prince so he could gain control over the sea! "That beast!" Thompson exclaimed. "Oh no!" "Hurry!" Thomson said, nearly slamming into Thompson as they began to fly away. "He's…we have to…Tintin!" The two seagulls then flew off.

"Tintin! Tintin!"

Slowly poking his head up, Tintin noticed the Thompsons flying straight at him. "Thompson! And Thomson!" Chang exclaimed. "What's going on?" Yan asked. "Tintin!" Thompson said, panting. "We…we were flying… and when we were flying…"

"And…and we saw that watch—I mean, witch, that beast was watching a mirror…" Thomson said. "And he was singing with a stolen set of pipes! Do you hear what we're telling you?" Tintin slowly shook his head. "What are you guys trying to say?" Yan said, slowly getting terrified. "THE PRINCESS IS INITIATING THAT BEAST RASTAPOPOULOS IN DISGUISE!" the Thompsons both blurted out.

"What? Are you sure about this?" Yan asked. "Have we ever been wrong?" Thompson asked. "We mean it when it's important!" "What are we going to do?!" Chang exclaimed. Suddenly, Tintin remembered what Rastapopoulos had told him; by the time the sun sets on the third day, if he hasn't gotten kissed by Alex, he'd transform back into a merman. Tintin then noticed the sun was about to set. His time was almost up!

Tintin then got up and leaped off the pier, diving straight into the water. But now that he was human, he wasn't able to swim. Yan noticed some barrels and yanked them off the pier using a rope. "Tintin! Grab on!" Yan said, throwing the rope to then climbed onto a barrel, and Yan threw the rope to Chang, "Chang, get Tintin to that ship as fast as your tail will carry you!" Yan said.

"I'll try," Chang said. "And where will you go?" "I have to get to Haddock! He has to know about this!" Yan said. "What can we do?" Thomson asked. "You and Thompson have to stall the gathering!" Yan said, and then she disappeared below the surface.

"Stall the wedding," Thompson said. "Now how will we…that's it!" The two seagulls flew off to the lagoon, where they began rallying up the other fish and animals. "Come on, move it! Let's go!" Thompson yelled. "We've got a dire emergency!" Thomson exclaimed.


	11. Living Nightmare

Meanwhile, during the royal procession on the ship, both Alex and Robert, both formally dressed, made their way down the aisle as every villager watched in anticipation. But Snowy and Rascal were suspicious about this new prince. Snowy growled at Robert and charged, only to be kicked away by Robert's foot. Snowy whimpered as Rascal nuzzled his nose.

By then, Alex and Robert had made their way to the ceremonial throne. As soon as a bell rang, the villagers sat down. "Greetings, everyone," Treasure announced. "I have gathered you all today for one of the best occasions in the history of our kingdom. Today is the day that my daughter, Princess Alexandria, will be inaugurating a royal suitor into our kingdom."

By then, Chang was rapidly pulling Tintin toward the ship. Though he was trying his best to take his friend there as fast as he could, the sun was slowly disappearing below the horizon. Following behind them was a whole horde of animals and fish.

"Don't worry, Tintin," Chang exclaimed, panting heavily. "We're…going…to make it. Almost there!"

The royal procession was beginning to pack some heat. As Professor Calculus faced Alex, Alex bowed so that the professor could place the royal crown atop her head. "As the undoubted maiden," Treasure announced, "keeper of peace and the doctrine brought forth by the governed thereof, I present to you…Princess Alexandria of San Theodoros." Facing the crowd, Alex, who was still under the influence of Robert's spell, then said, "I, Princess Alexandria, pledge to keep the bridge of peace together so that we may rule."

"And now," Treasure announced, "as the undisputed second-in command, and the keeper of peace and balance…" "AAAAAHHHH!" one woman cried out. Soon, swarms of animals, birds, and fish were swarming the ship. The villagers were frightened as animals were spreading around the ship and causing chaos all around. It was then that Tintin climbed aboard and tried to get to Alex.

"What is going on here?!" Treasure demanded. Suddenly, the animals lunged toward Robert, attacking him. "Ow! Hey!" Robert cried out as birds and fish were swarming all over him. "Get off of me, you slimy little—" One of the birds noticed the jade amulet round Robert's neck and snatched it. "Ow! Why you little-!" Robert exclaimed, grabbing the bird's tail. Feeling the tug, the bird's beak flew open, causing the amulet to fly off. "No!" Robert exclaimed, but to no avail.

The amulet then fell right at Tintin's feet, shattering to pieces. Suddenly, the light of Tintin's voice slowly lifted itself from the amulet. The light in Alex's eyes vanished; she wasn't under the spell anymore. Soon, Tintin's voice traveled back to its rightful owner. Tintin got his voice back!

"Tintin?" Alex asked. "Oh, Alex," Tintin said, finally able to speak again. "You…you really do talk," Alex said. "You really are the one." "No! Stay away from him!" Robert ordered. Embracing Tintin, Alex softly said, "It was you all along." The two then leaned in for a kiss. "Oh Alex," Tintin said. "All I…I wanted to tell you was…" "ALEXANDRIA! NO!" Robert screamed.

It was too late. Before Tintin and Alex even got a chance to kiss, the sun had already set. "Aaaagh!" Tintin cried out, feeling a sharp pain in his body, and then he fainted. "You're too late!" Robert cackled. Alex gasped in shock as Tintin's legs then transformed back into his tail.

"You're too late now!" Robert said, his voice suddenly changing. Soon, he reverted back to his true form. The villagers were now in an uproar as they cringed in fear. Slithering hurriedly up to the two, Rastapopoulos then snatched Tintin. "So long, fair maiden!" he shouted. Then, the two went overboard. "Tintin!" Alex cried out. Snowy began to howl in sadness.

Under the surface, Rastapopoulos dragged Tintin by the arm. "You poor little prince," he sneered. "It isn't you that I'm really after. I have a much bigger fish to…" "

"Rastapopoulos! Stop at once!" a voice thundered. The turned and saw Haddock swimming up to them. "Why, Your Majesty!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed. "Ha, ha ha…how are we doing?" "Let the boy go," Haddock demanded.

"Not a chance, Your Highness," Rastapopoulos said. He then pulled out the contract. "The boy is mine now. We made a deal, remember?" Haddock then turned guiltily to Tintin. Feeling a tear coming to his eye, Tintin bowed his head, saying, "Haddock, I…I'm very sorry that all of this happened. I…I didn't mean to do it. If I had just…"

Enraged, Haddock thrust his trident forward, delivering a massive bolt of lightning to the contract. But the contract still remained unscathed. "You see?" Rastapopoulos said. "The contract's legal, binding and completely unbreakable—even for you." "What is that supposed to mean?" Haddock demanded.

"Of course, I was always the man with an eye for a bargain," Rastapopoulos said. "The squire of the great sea king himself is such a very precious commodity. But…" he then turned to Tintin, and then to Haddock, "I may be willing to make an exchange for someone even greater…"

Back on the ship, everyone was in an uproar, asking what was going and why this was happening in the first place. Even Treasure wanted to know the answer as to why. "Alexandria, I want to know what exactly is going on right now!" she demanded. Alex was still staring back out at the sea. Then, without warning, she grabbed a harpoon, hopped onto a lifeboat, cut the rope, and then plummeted onto the ocean.

"Alexandria!" Treasure ordered. "Get back over here! What do you think you're doing?!" "Mom, I lost him once," Alex called out, rowing further away. "And I'm not going to lose him ever again!"


	12. Fighting Fire with Fire

Back under the surface, Rastapopoulos was still questioning Haddock if he was willing to relinquish his power in order to get Tintin back. Even though Haddock was not following with the contract's orders, he still did want Tintin to come back home.

"Now, have we got a deal?" Rastapopoulos sneered. Sighing with hesitation, Haddock gave in. "I will relinquish my power…and you give me back the boy," he said. Raising his trident, Haddock then signed the contract. "The deed is done," Rastapopoulos said. He then thrust Tintin forward, who in turn embraced Haddock. Suddenly, without warning, Rastapopoulos sent a bolt of lightning toward Haddock, causing him to wither away into a worthless soul.

From afar, Yan and Chang watched in unspeakable horror. "No! Please, no!" Tintin cried out. Yan could do nothing but stare listlessly into the eyes of the once beloved king. "Oh, Your Majesty…" she muttered. "Haddock?" Tintin whispered. "I'm sorry…"

The friends did not happen to notice Rastapopoulos grabbing the crown. "At last," he muttered as he was about to place the crown on his head. "The power is mine…" "You…you beast!" Tintin shouted angrily, pushing the crown off Rastapopoulos's hand.

"Now don't fool with me, you worthless, little brat!" Rastapopoulos thundered. He forcefully grabbed Tintin's arm and was ready to strike. "Contract or no contract, you still belong to…Aaaaaahhhhh!"

Before he could berate Tintin, a harpoon came out of nowhere and struck Rastapopoulos's arm. Tintin looked up and gasped. It was Alex! "Why, you sly witch!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed. Alex then tried to swim for her weapon and grab it. "Alex, be careful!" Tintin exclaimed.

"After her!" Rastapopoulos ordered. Tom and Allan then began catching up to Alex, ready to attack. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Yan cried out as she and Chang fled. Igniting the trident, Rastapopoulos aimed it straight toward Alex. "Say goodbye, fair maiden!" he said.

But in the nick of time, Tintin pushed Rastapopoulos, causing him to send a bolt of lightning toward Tom and Allan instead! The two eels were then caught in a twisted knot. "My minions!" Rastapopoulos cried out. "No, no!" Tintin then grabbed Alex and swam up to the surface as Rastapopoulos began to grow in size.

Tintin then got Alex back up to the surface just in time. The sky was beginning to grow dark as night gave way. "Alex, leave now," Tintin said. "You have to get out of here while you still can." "No, I won't go without you," Alex said. "You have to! It's the only way!" Tintin said.

"YOU PITIFUL, INSIGNIFICANT FOOLS!"

Suddenly, Alex and Tintin were lifted from the ocean as a now giant and massive Rastapopoulos towered over the sea. Now that Rastapopoulos assumed total power, he was more powerful than ever. Grabbing tightly onto Tintin's hand, Alex tried not to let go. But, from underneath them, the surface rumbled and shook, making it seem unsteady. "Look out!" Alex cried out, but suddenly, her hand slipped, causing Tintin to fall back into the sea.

"NOW I AM THE MOST POWERFUL RULER OF ALL THE OCEAN!" Rastapopoulos thundered. "THE WAVES NOW OBEY MY EVERY WHIM! AND THE SEA AND ALL OF ITS SPOILS SHALL BOW DOWN TO MY POWER!"

With a wave of the trident, Rastapopoulos began to raise shipwrecks from under the surface and cause chaos all around. But he was not through with his victims yet. As thunder and lightning crashed everywhere, Rastapopoulos decided that he still had one other pest to deal with. He then summoned a giant whirlpool…and then he began pulling Tintin straight toward it!

"ALEX!" Tintin shouted as he was being sucked further into the whirlpool by the strong currents. Alex, with a sense of despair, then swam up to the nearest ship she could find. Climbing on, she tried to steer the ship toward Rastapopoulos. Rastapopoulos knew that the whirlpool was getting nowhere into getting rid of Tintin. It was then that he decided that the only way was to kill Tintin. Raising the trident high, he sent waves of lightning toward the boy. But Tintin was quick enough to avoid them.

"HA, SO MUCH FOR YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE!" Rastapopoulos exploded. As the trident began to glow a deep red, he aimed it toward Tintin! "NOW, TO FINISH YOU OFF!" he thundered. "SAY GOODBYE, YOU WORTHLESS, PITIFUL SOUL!"

And just as he was about to strike, Alex was quick to steer the ship straight toward Rastapopoulos. As she did, she rammed the ship's broken mast right into his body! After getting impaled by the broken mast, Rastapopoulos uttered a horrifying cry of pain and sank to the bottom of the ocean, thus meeting his untimely demise. A massive wave was sent forward and sent Alex's ship toward the beach, crashing onto the shore.

Down below, the trident fell toward the withered creature in front of Yan and Chang. Suddenly, the trident glowed, and Haddock transformed back to his old self. Yan and Chang cheered as they embraced their king.


	13. Human Again

On the next morning, after the storm was over, Tintin sat on a rock far away from the shore where Alex was. Even though they had proved successful in triumphing over Rastapopoulos, Tintin was still sad. Now that he had transformed back into a merman, he would never be able to see Alex ever again.

Afar from where Tintin was, Yan and Chang, with Haddock, looked on with a sense of sympathy. Haddock could only sigh in guilt. "It seems that he really does love her, doesn't he?" he asked. "He wants to be with someone he really cares about," Chang said. "It's like I always say, Your Majesty," Yan told Haddock. "Sometimes, you just got to let kids be free to choose who they want to be."

"You always say that?" Haddock asked. "Sorry," Yan said, blushing. Haddock stared at Tintin one last time and sighed heavily. "Well, I guess there's only one problem left," he said. "What's that?" Yan asked. "How much I am going to miss that lad," Haddock said. And with a wave of his trident, Haddock sent a beam of light to Tintin.

As Tintin looked on, he began to notice a bright yellow glow from behind. As he turned around, he noticed that his tail was beginning to transform back into legs. He gasped in pure delight.

From the shore, Alex was beginning to come around when she saw a figure shadowed by bright sunlight, slowly walking toward her. As she opened her eyes, Alex gasped. It was Tintin! Tintin, who wore remnants of his clothes from the other day, returned to Alex with open arms. Laughing joyfully, Alex leaped onto Tintin and embraced him for a long time.

"Thank you for coming back," Alex whispered in Tintin's ear. "I thought I'd never see you again," Tintin said, still embracing Alex. "I though you would be gone for sure," Alex said. "And by the way…there's something else that I forgot to tell you." "What is that?" Tintin asked. Alex smiled.

Later on, aboard the royal ship, the villagers and townspeople had gathered as Treasure began to initiate Alex and Tintin as the royal princess and prince of their kingdom.

After Alex was crowned princess, she turned to face the crowd, who all began to stand. Treasure then announced, "As the undoubted maiden, keeper of the doctrine, and beholder of the governed thereof, I hereby present to you…Princess Alexandria of San Theodoros." After bowing, Alex then said, "As your merciful princess, I pledge to maintain peace and balance in my kingdom."

Tintin was next. Kneeling down, Treasure then put two fingers into holy water and anointed Tintin. As Tintin stood, Treasure announced, "And, as the undisputed prince, keeper of balance and peace, and protector of the kingdom thereof, I present to you…Sir Tintin of San Theodoros." "And I pledge to protect this kingdom and the ones I love," Tintin announced.

All around the ship, the villagers began to cheer!

As Tintin and Alex faced each other, they got close and leaned in for a kiss. The villagers all melted into a deep reverence as the two shared their true love's kiss. "Tintin! Tintin!" a voice called out. Tintin turned and smiled; it was Yan and Chang!

Tintin walked up to the two and gave them a hug. "Well, it looks like this is it," Yan said. "We're really going to miss you a lot," Chang said. "Thank you guys so much," Tintin said. "Yes, thank you. Thank you," Yan said.

Soon, Haddock appeared before them. Alex, who caught up to Tintin, saw Haddock and curtsied, while Haddock bowed to her. Tintin embraced Haddock for a long time, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty." "I'll always remember you, my boy," Haddock said.

As the ship was beginning to sail away, crowds of mermaids appeared on the surface as Haddock summoned a giant rainbow to celebrate peace being restored. The mermaids all cheered as they began to sing:

"Now we can run

Now we can walk

Now we can stay all day in the sun

Just you and me,

And I can be

Part of your world!"

Le Fin!


End file.
